Help me guys to make my decision.

I am new to the Thinkpads. I have had Vaios and decided to get Thinkpad this time.

I am grad business student. So, I move around classrooms and schools a lot. My priorities are portability, battery life. Of course cost is considered too.

I am looking to buy x61 and then x200 and SL300 appeared. I have read how SL300 is cheaply made. My question: Is it worth to pay over 400 extra for X200 over X61 and SL300. If not how big of a difference am I looking at between X61 and SL300?

Thank you.

Since you mentioned moving around a lot, you should consider the fact that the X200 only weighs around 3 pounds, where as the SL300 starts at around 4.6 pounds.

As for the SL300 being cheaply made, it does not come equipped with the same magnesium rollcage that the X200 possesses.

The SL series with their rearranged Lenovo 3000-style keyboard is not a _true_ Thinkpad. Think about that too.

I had a look at the SL series and thought it looked very big and bulky, I was looking for something small and light. I do know the X200 will be arriving soon but decided I did not want another widescreen notebook.

I bought an X61 for a good price bundled with an extra 4 cell enhanced battery, 4 Gig of Ram etc etc. Prices are dropping for this model and I think I got a very good deal.

vaios are still good laptops...the SR series is 13.3" and pretty light. I think lenovo is missing the boat on a well built 13" laptop that doesn't cost a fortune (X300) because the SL300 is too budget and the X300 is high end. They need something in the middle

I´d go for X200: lightweight, strong, and better build quality... good combination for whom will be around with laptop.

You made an excellent choice!
The X61 will last a very long time, they are well refined as the X series has been around a long time. I know I've had several. Currently I'm using an X60s which I plan on keeping for years. The X series was ahead of it's time when first created and remains a cornerstone of the ThinkPad line of laptops.

Cheers